Apple Appealing Encyclopedia Copyright Ruling In China

In September, the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court ruled that Apple was guilty of infringing on Encyclopedia copyright laws for the unauthorized use of a digital version of the Encyclopedia of China on the App Store. Apple has decided to appeal this decision, which ordered Apple to pay 520,000 yuan ($84,000 US) in compensation to the Encyclopedia China Publishing House.

The publishing house’s attorney, Sun Jianhong, confirmed that Apple filed the appeal and said that “We have always been confident all through the first-instance trial procedures, and we remain confident for the appellant trial.” He also noted that the publishing house will try to have the decision from the first trial upheld.

In the appeal, Apple argues that the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House’s complaint was incorrect and unfounded and the fine too high, according to the Jinghua Times. The court decided that Apple was guilty of pirating as it approved the content for the App Store and ultimately profited from its sale.

While the $84,000 wouldn’t put a huge hole in Apple’s pockets, losing this appeal could set Apple up for similar lawsuits from other companies that may feel they have suffered infringements on the App Store. This could get very interesting very quickly and set quite a few precedents. It’s worth keeping an eye on how this one unfolds.